04 Mar Malachy Finegan abuse victim settles High Court damages action
We act on behalf of a Malachy Finegan abuse victim whose case resolved at the point of trial date.
Speaking outside court on news of the settlement solicitor Owen Winters of KRW LAW Historic Abuse litigation Dept said
“Our client attended St Colman’s College in the 1980s. He was initially groomed and later sexually assaulted by the President of the college Father Malachy Finegan on several occasions. The progression of the abuse over time from seemingly innocuous questions about family and puberty, then isolation from other children, leading to severe sexual assault followed a pattern that has sadly become all too familiar as the wider picture on Finegan’s extensive abuse of boys in his care continues to emerge.
Our client is relieved to bring the stressful litigation process to a close and looks forward to continuing the healing process.
Such relief at the ending of the High Court action however doesn’t necessarily bring closure for our client. Sadly for many victims and survivors of historical sexual abuse generally ‘closure’ remains as elusive as ever.
The memories of abuse perpetrated upon them never ever fade away.
More specifically for many, the horrendous legacy left by Malachy Finegan looms as large as it did all those years ago when he was abusing children on a weekly basis.
A damages cheque, welcome as it is, will never erase that legacy.”